Tracing Through Stars
by Preddlebunny
Summary: Lily Redfields is a talented archeologist who has just been assigned to the Enterprise crew. She finds that adventure and the unknown isn't all that's out in Space. OC/?
1. Chapter 1

I sat in the neatly arranged office tapping my fingernails against the coffee table next my chair. The room was quiet. I hated quiet places. I could literally hear the antique clock ticking on the far wall behind another line of chairs. What was with Admiral Clevin and his antiques? He didn't seem like the type to be interested in that stuff.

I have been waiting for my reassignment info from the main office for nearly forty five minutes. I hated waiting, and I wasn't the most patient one ever. Mainly I just wanted to get off Earth. I mean, I've been stationed here for the past two years after I graduated from the academy. Most other recruits we sent off on other starships. I guess there's not much of a demand for archeologist.

Yep out of all the sciency majors the academy offered I decided to major in archeology and anthropology along with several other courses like xenolinguistics. I don't know why I was so interested in primitive times of cultures. It's just something about the past the fascinated me. I loved old and new things, and just the thought of traveling to an undiscovered planet and poking around some ruins had me on my toes ready for the adventures of space.

Yet I was stuck on Earth for two years. Of course I traveled to already discovered sites and monuments to learn more ,but everything on Earth has already been discovered! I want excitement! I want adventure! I want to decode an ancient language and find some magical artifact or something! I just want to get the hell off this planet. Maybe I'll catch a break today. Maybe the universe will answer my call!

As if the universe ready my mind the doors to the Admirals office wooshed open making me jump out of my hiatus as if I had been hit by a brick wall. The nifty dressed assistant gave me a concerned look then handed me a padd.

"The Admiral wishes you luck on your new assignment Lieutenant Redfields".

I snatched the padd eagerly and used my finger to scroll through the documents. My heart almost burst out of my chest when I read the next paragraph.

_Due to Lieutenant Lily Redfields exemplary performance on and off the field of study it is my privilege to transfer her to the USS Enterprise NCC-1701. Active Immediately April 22, 2260 at 19:00 hours. _

The rest of it was just blah but I kept reading that sentence over and over until I started getting worried looks from the assistant.

"I'm getting assigned to the Enterprise! THE ENTERPRISE!"

"Yes the admiral-" I interrupted the assistant by jumping up and hugging him. "This is perfect, no this is excellent. Oh this is just great!"

The assistant looked flustered as he cleared his throat, "um congratulations unfortunately the Admiral is very busy he's afraid he can't see you off-"

"Oh that doesn't matter I mean it does but..oh it doesn't I'm off this boring rock", with another leap into the air I hastily shook the guys hand and left the office in a hurry as if the Admiral would poke his head out and say "April Fools"!

Whenever I reached my quarters my roomie and assistant anthropologist was laying on her bed reading a book when I leaped through the door and jumped on mine. The fact that she was dressed in her jammies gave me the hint of was late at night.

She lowered her book, "I take it you got some good news today about your reassignment?"

"Only the best!" I grinned and plopped down on my stomach facing her. I held the padd up to my face, "As of seven a.m tomorrow I am assigned to the USS Enterprise NCC-1701".

"Wow that is good news", she said with two raised eyebrows. "How did you land a position like that?"

"Ugh I have no idea but it's about time!" I grabbed something from under my nightstand, "Aw man Squishy I forgot to feed you", I tapped some pelets from the container into the eager bettas bowl. The blue fish swam eagerly to the surface singularly sucking each one into his mouth.

"What about you?" I asked after I plucked my suitcase from the closet. "Didn't you get reassigned today?"

Angie sighed and marked her spot in her book before setting in down, "yea they decided to keep me here another year for more hands on learning".

"Well that sucks". I stated bluntly, "you're a great archeologist".

"Yes but in the linguistics part I suck and you know it", she smiled, "probably for the best anyway, space isn't going anywhere. Not all of us can decode an ancient language as fast as you".

I grinned, "I guess not, and in a way I think I'll miss it here". NOT!

I finished packing up my clothes, and items I would be bringing with me, double checked to see if I left anything out. I took a shower later and paused before the mirror. I suppose I should take this time to tell you I'm half Vulcan. I'm not gonna give you a paragraph long sob story on how I came to be one it's actually quite simple. My dad married a widowed vulcan that came to earth as an ambassador and out popped me several months later. My mom died two years ago when Vulcan was destroyed. She was going back to report in to the counsel and she never stood a chance once the planet started disintegrating. It was a sad time for the family, and every since it happened my dad has gone just plain loony. I didn't blame him. We don't usually talk about it much.

I looked in the mirror at myself. Yep, I had most of the traits of a vulcan; the pointy ears, slanted eyebrows. My hair was in layers that fell only a few inches past my shoulders, and my eyes were a vague mix between moms green and dads brown which I guess would be hazel.

I sighed and plopped down on my bed deciding that this was a fate I could live with a little while longer.

"Excuse me excuse me OH MY GOD I'm so sorry excuse me!" I shoved and bustled my way through the line of Starfleet ensigns on their way to their morning post, and to just mock my recent luck my alarm clock went off half an hour later than it was supposed to. Right now I probably looked like I had just crawled up out of the earth. My brown hair was tied up in what was supposed to be a military style bun but was falling down in pieces. Ugh I was going to have to redo my entire face before I meet my new captain. I glanced at my watch, and it read 18:49. So now almost every curse word in the book was floating through my head.

I leaped into a turbo lift when it was about to close, and due to my lack of caffeine I stumbled and fell into the arms of a very irritated man.

"Damn girl watch it or your gonna kill someone", I took note of his thick southern accent and was slightly amused. I noticed his rank was much higher than mine so I couldn't make a smart aleck comeback.

"Sorry", I smiled apologetically, " hadn't had my espresso this morning so I'm a little off".

He smiled and I noticed he was actually pretty decent looking, "you and me both uh…".

It took me a few second s to realize he was inquiring about my name. "Oh! I'm Lieutenant Lily Redfields", I giggled slightly at my nervousness.

The turbo lift doors shut but he still kept his eyes on me, 'you wouldn't happen to be the same Lieutenant Lily Redfields that's been assigned to the enterprise crew huh?"

"You're being assigned there too?" I questioned with a raised brow.

He chuckled and held out a hand, "Leonard McCoy, I'm the chief medical officer on board Enterprise".

My mouth was agape. "You're t McCoy, it's nice to meet you!" I shook his hand vigorously.

"Likewise", he said giving me a charming smile. I blushed furiously and withdrew my hand slowly. The turbo lift doors opened and we both walked out into a thankfully less crowded hallway. "I don't mean to be rude but are you a Vulcan?"

I gave him a quizzical look, "yes I am".

"I'm sorry it's just that you're different from any vulcan I've met", he stated with a smile. "Which to me is a good thing".

I raised a brow, "my mother was a vulcan, my dad preferred me to refrain from their ways".

He looked ashamed for a moment then coughed and changed the subject," well, I never knew archeologist were really needed on exploration ships until I really thought about it".

I blew a strand of hair away from my face, "oh yes were very much needed how else can you get close to a culture without understanding it's past?"

"An interesting profession", he mused quietly and we stopped at an intersection of hallways. "I have some things to attend to before Enterprise leaves port I'll see you on board Lieutenant".

"Ah yes I'll se you on board", I smiled as he shook my hand once again then disappeared into a mass of people down the corridor. At least I've made one friend so far.

Five more lengthily hallways and one turbo lift later I was finally at the transporter room for the Enterprise. I don't know why but my stomach was turning backflips at this moment. Why, I've been waiting for this for years and as soon as I step on that pad my life of adventure and endless exploration begins.

I took a deep breath, straightened out my uniform and gave the authorization padd to the engineer working at the station. He surveyed it with a smile, handed it back to me and told me to step up.

"Good luck out there Lieutenant", said the engineer before the familiar rush of my molecules being separated one by one rushed into my body. I was never fully comfortable with that feeling.

Only a milisecond later I was standing on a platform surrounded by bright lights and ensigns working at their consoles, none of them really acknowledged me other than shouting out my name as if they were checking me off a list.

"Lieutenant Redfields onboard sir", someone said from the bleeping consoles.

"Good", a calm and tranquil voice stated. It took me a moment to find the voice until I spotted it's source coming from a vulcan everyone with a right mind knows is the hybrid Commander Spock. He stepped up to me at first with a blank expression but then something flickered in his depthless eyes as soon as he noticed hmy slightly slanted brows and ears that just barely poked out of my hair. I cursed myself for not covering them more efficiently.

I gathered myself, stepped down in the manner I've practiced for so long and handed him my authorization padd. "Lieutenant Lily Redfields reporting for duty as ships head archeologist sir". I couldn't help but smile a bit and that seem to amuse the commander.

"Well met Lieutenant", he nodded toward me. I took the split second we had before he would lead me around to survey him. He was much taller in person, built with short black hair that barely passed his ears, pale skin, and dark brown eyes that barricaded any thoughts from being read. Yep he was half vulcan alright.

"I apologize on behalf of our captain. He is currently occupied with a few upgrades to the computers mainframe, he sends his regards".

I smiled childishly and shook my head, "it's no problem sir I'm just excited to be on board".

He continued to stare at me quizzically for a few more seconds before continuing, "right, well as the commander it is my duty to escort new crewmembers to their quarters". He gestured ahead to the door that led to the corridors.

"Thank you", I nodded respectfully and joined him at his side as he led me through the whooshing door. I nodded eagerly in greeting to all the officers that passed me.

I saw the Commander Spock steal unnoticeable glances in my direction every now and then ; probably wondering why my eyes were darting in four hundred different directions at the same time.

"Enterprise is composed of several rooms and levels such as the upper corridors, lower corridors, engineering and warp core rooms". He kept his eyes trained forward, "your quarters will be located on level three section eight, and the archeology labs are on level two section five if you need assistance finding your way the ships computer will guide you".

I was barely paying any attention to him as I trained my eyes on the labs I walked by where science officers were getting situated and shown around by the higher ranking ones. I couldn't wait to work in mine!

"Lieutenant Redfields I could not help but notice you seem distracted. Have you been listening?"

I jerked my head back his direction mentally cursing myself for being so absent minded. "Oh I'm sorry sir it's just that I've never been stationed on a ship before. I guess I'm just over excited".

"Excited", it was more of a statement than a question as he tilted his head at me as if he was figuring out some sort of puzzle in his mind. The commander quickly shook his curiosity away, "well being eager as you are I hope you find everything on this ship to your liking", he paused as we entered a turbo lift. "level three section eight", the computer bleeped as the sudden woosh of the lift began. "Many young officers consider being here an honor indeed".

"If I may ask sir, who chose me for this assignment?"

He seemed to ponder the response for a moment, "I did Lieutenant".

"Oh, may I ask why? I don't mean to be nosey or anything I just want to know".

"As first officer it is my duty to seek those with the necessary requirements to fill our roster. You met those Lieutenant".

"Oh", my eyes trailed to the ground for a second.

We paused outside a gray door with the numbers 124 on it, "and I acknowledged your exemplary performance during your academy years. You did well beyond that of your fellow pupils".

"Well thank you sir my father was an anthropologist for Starfleet, one of the best"

"I am glad to see you are living up to your fathers reputation then Lieutenant", he gestured to the door, "here are your quarters".

I walked in and the biggest smile crept unto my face as I surveyed the living space. It was bigger than my dorm rooms on Earth and a heck of a lot nicer too. The carpet was a plush gray that matched the walls perfectly with just an off color to it. It was basically composed of three rooms the lounge, a bedroom through a door off to the right and a small bathroom through another doorway off to the left. A large, circular window that allowed me to see the whizzing stars flying by. The place was decorated with alien nic nacs and pictures that adorned the shelves and walls. My luggage and supplies I had beamed over was sitting in the middle of the lounge. I had some serious unpacking to do.

I subconsciously tucked a lock of brown hair behind my ear, then realized what I did and covered it up again forgetting the commander was still at my door watching me.

He cleared his throat pretending not to notice my odd behavior, "is everything satisfactory".

"ah nemaiyo" I replied.

The vulcan tilted his head, "you speak Vulcan?"

I nodded with a smile, "fourteen dialects including the ancient ones used in the ages before Sarek". I noticed a flicker of wonder in his eyes.

"Fascinating not many people including vulcans know of the ancient languages".

" sa he' ek-aribien" I spoke probably not as fluent as I could have, "I'm actually a little rusty on a few of the ancient dialects but I still have studying to do, so hopefully one day I can speak them like an actual Vulcan".

"Perhaps", his head was still tilted but as soon as he realized his odd behavior he snapped back into reality, "Well Lieutenant if you check your duty log you can see your schedule and when your first shift begins". He bowed his head slightly, "I must go attend to other matters".

"Of course and again 'nemaiyo".

"na'shaya", he replied with a hint of a smile and the door closed shut. I stared at the door a few moments longer. I was surprised he didn't ask me about my heritage, because surely he knew I was half vulcan. Maybe he figured it was a sensitive topic since I covered my ears. I suppose it actually is.

"Ahhh" I plopped down on the sofa that felt as if it was made of a type of leather, bolian leather? Who knew.

I unpacked everything in about an hour. Small relics and keepsakes I had kept throughout my years of training with professor Zorac was placed on the shelves and tables around my quarters. A large sandstone tablet I had been given as a gift was hung on my lounge wall. It was composed of early Vulcan hieroglyphics and letters adorned it's smooth surface, it was one of my most valued possessions a gift that went from my mother to father to me.

After all the hard work was done I checked my duty roster and thankfully I didn't have to report to the lab tomorrow until 19:00 hours. That gave me plenty of time to sleep, and maybe I won't be rushing late again. Before I went to bed after a nice, long sonic shower I brought Squishy out of his stasis chamber and set up his bowl by my nightstand and fed him. I laid down and stared at the stars whizzing by until I was lulled to a deep sleep dreaming of what lies beyond.


	2. Chapter 2

Lily sat at her desk mildly disappointed with her first couple of hours on the job. The first thing she was basically forced to do after being shown around her lab was paperwork. Lots and lots of paperwork!

Not only did she have to shift through several rosters to find herself a suitable first assistant out of the ten available ones, but she had to go through the check list to make sure all the equipment was here and in the right condition. But in a way she expected being the head archeologist to be hard if not enduring at times. It's what she's been waiting for. To get out of that boring slag of a station on Earth.

The lieutenant blew a piece of hair out of her face as she rested her chin on a fist and stared off into space. _We could at least hurry up and get to the good part._

It was a half hour later of shifting through personal files and flying around the lab to get tools situated when the voice broke through the comm on the wall.

"_Lieutenant Redfields?"_

The voice was familiar, gruff and sounded rather irritated.

_Lieutenant, _she thought with joy, _Damn that sounds so good! _

"Redfields here?" She answered chipper as ever.

"_It's McCoy, chief medical officer, All lieutenants are due for their check-up before we launch". _

She smacked herself in the forehead. _All lieutenants have mandatory checkups due at 1200 hours. It's 1345! _"Uh of course! I'll be there right away".

"_Please do", _that agitated voice replied then clicked off the line.

Quickly she shuffled through the corridors and the red suited ensigns heading to their post for take off. There was still so much to do before the launch her head started throbbing at the thought of it. Assigning a new assistant was the most important part, and she knew the commander would be up her ass if she delayed any further on her choice. The quarters needed to be assigned properly.

When she entered the infirmary she was mildly surprised at how empty it was save a few redshirts sitting on the hospital beds with nurses probing them in eyes and ears.

"Avoiding the doctor lieutenant?"

The young woman whipped around and came face to face with the same man she bumped into the hallway a day ago. He was still in the same blue uniform and her eyes focused on the pins that signified he was her superior, so a smart alec comeback was a no go.

"I guess I was a little busy getting my office arranged", she smiled sheepishly, "Sorry".

He did something between a smirk and a frown and tapped on his padd he seemed to have glued in his hand, "Take a seat on the biobed. I'll get to you in a moment".

Lily obliged and sat down on the stiff bed in the corner. She drummed her fingers on the edge, waiting patiently while the nurses completely ignored her as they attended to other redshirts. It was minutes later when the doctor reappeared.

"Your medical history is a little difficult to pull up even on our own computers Ms. Redfields, but it all the basics seem to be here". The doctor flittered his fingers up and down the padd as he observed the findings.

Lily watched him as he worked, watched how his dark brown eyes moved back and forth and how he pursed his lips in concentration and agitation. The high lighting of the sick bay made him look older than he was. Well not like she knew how old he was anyway, but still. Fearing he would notice her staring, she looked down at the hem of her skirt, disgusted at how it barely reached past mid-thy.

"Not liking the uniform?" He asked suddenly, with his eyes still on the device.

"Would you report my complaints to the captain?"

He somewhat chuckled, "Not likely. I'm sure he's got more to worry about than a fashion crisis".

"Well I don't mean to be rude, but it's like these uniforms were designed by some old pervert", she said tugging on the hem to cover up more skin. "Seriously if we were boarded by an enemy and forced to actually run: One, I would trip because of these heels and Two I would have to hold down my own skirt to keep from flashing everyone".

McCoy tried to suppress his laugh by clearing his throat, "Right well perhaps the flashing could distract the enemy enough for security to get to you then". He set down the padd and whispered something to a nurse who came by to pick it up. "Your mother was Vulcan correct?" He fumbled around in a drawer till he pulled out a small light.

He made her stare at the light as he passed it over her eyes, "Yes?"

"We don't have much data on hybrid Vulcans other than what we've collected on Spock. Your blood samples a little outdated so you won't mind if we take another?" He cradled her hand in his palm and glanced up impatiently for her approval.

She shook her head, "Uh go ahead", and winced as the sound of a puff of air grated her sensitive ears and reddish, green blood was withdrawn into a clear tube. Lily hated the color of her blood. It reminded her of rust and death. Like the pictures of Old Vulcan on her wall.

"Oh and one more thing. You're missing some required vaccinations. I'll have our nurses see to administering the doses to match your white blood count". He dabbled something into the computer at his desk.

"_Attention all Starfleet personel" _Chekovs voice sounded out over the bay,_ "We will be leaving port at exactly 15:00 hours. All ensigns and officers need to report in at their assigned post". _

"I'll notify you tomorrow when you need to come by and receive your vaccinations. You should report to your post Lieutenant".

Lily leapt off the biobed, "Yes sir". She still had to choose a damn assistant and organize some files and…quit filing all these things in your head or you'll explode! She hoped it would get easier from here…please let it get easier.

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Liam Chung was his name. He was a gawky young ensign and a supposed child prodigy of his family which originated in Hong Kong. His chili bowl haircut was the only flaw she noticed in his resume. Like seriously? That was coming back in style?

"Liam did you organize the Romulan hieroglyphs in the right database? And the carbon dating prods in the lab?"

"Yes ma'am, lieutenant…I mean sir!" He fidgeted at his console.

_Yep..gawky was the right word to describe him._

I rolled my eyes with a smile, "You can call me Lily, Liam, at least in here". Her eyes returned to the microscope as she studied a sample slide from the Enterprises Archeological Database.

"Yes ma'am…I mean Lily".

Lily barely aknowleged him as she hunched over the electron microscope in fascination. What they got at their station on Earth was the same old microbe samples and dirt from ancient sites already picked and prodded to the bone. There was just too much new stuff here to ignore!

She glanced over at Liam who was enjoying the new samples just as much as her as he researched them on the computer. Lily knew she was going to enjoy working with him if their interests reach past archeology.

_Lieutenant Lily Redfields, there's a transmission waiting for you in your office. _

She jumped at the sound of the mellow female voice overhead and puffed a piece of hair out of her face.

Her father, looking a little worse for wear, face appeared when she activated her monitor. His face was sagging, with dark blue circles clearly forming under his eyes. This wasn't all new to her. He had been like this since her mother died, and had barely been able to keep his desk job with Starfleet.

"Dad" She acknowledged with a solemn tone.

"Hows my Lily? Still gallivanting on Starships?" he replied trying to sound cheery.

"We launched only today, heading toward undiscovered parts of the Beta quadrant".

The elder man shook his unkept head, "My daughter, an A&A officer. I never thought I'd get you to leave Earth".

Lily just nodded and smiled. Her father was wrong, she wanted nothing short of leaving Earth. Leaving her father behind was a hard decision, but she was hopeful he would get better and start meeting new people. His commanding officer had already had a few chats with her about his recent behavior. The impact of her mother's untimely death on Vulcan had hit him harder than she, and that says much.

"What has it been like so far?"

Lily shifted,"So far just a lot of situating, analysis of new samples in the database to get familiar with what I'm dealing with. What's really fascinating is the ancient dialects of Klingon I get to dabble with. I didn't have Klingon on Earth".

Her father, whom had seemed to be staring off into space, snapped his attention back after a few moments. "I remember those days. I was never on an exploration vessel though, just a small science frigate. You're very fortunate".

The young officer bit her lower lip, unable to contain the question, and sighed, "Dad, have you been skipping out on your medications again?"

The fury in his face was palpable. He hated it when she asked him these things, but it was necessary. The red tint to his eyes, the dark circles and his lack of focus was an obvious sign.

"You're an adult now Lily", he replied sternly. The scowl in his face made the lines of his forehead deepen, "Quit worrying about me. You're the one venturing into unknown space! I get enough talk from my CO and I don't need it from you!"

Tears brimmed in Lilys eyes. The father she once knew, the one who would constantly stop everything in the world to make sure she was never sad or alone, the one to sing her to sleep with the same lullaby translated from an old Vulcan song, was now gone. He was morphed into a hollow shell.

"I have work to do dad. Take your medicine, that's all I ask". With that she clicked off the transmission link.

Seconds passed as she sat in silence twirling her fingers through her short, choppy hair. After minutes of contemplation she decided to quit thinking about her father steadily spiraling down a staircase of depression and start concentrating on her current work.

"Computer what time is it?"

"_The time is 22:10 hours"._

She rose from her seat and exited her office. Liam was hunched over a replicated relic from an ancient Vulcan temple, his small, squinty eyes studying the object with great care. She saw herself in his shoes five years ago, only he has the luxury of being good enough to be on board a starship after graduation. Lily had to wait two years in a lab on Earth.

"Liam! Ready for dinner?"

He glanced up, "Actually Lieutenant I'm going to stay here and catch up on some things. You can go ahead if you wish".

She smiled, although she hated the idea of having to eat alone. "Of course Liam. Have fun".

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Lily stepped outside of her office, mind and body weary from the days work and it was just the first day. This wasn't a training lab where there were at least twenty students to a section. This was the real deal, and it's what Lily wanted. She heard on the announcements given by Chekov that it would be at least a week before they reach the first planet, and that was only at New Vulcan where an expedition was supposed to be held. The captain would brief the required officers when the time came. She hoped it was her.

"_Lieutenant Redfields could you report to my office?" _

Lily jumped, forgetting she had her comm attached to her belt. She recognized the voice from the ship wide broadcast a few hours ago. It was the captain.

What would the captain want so late at night?

"Yes sir, On my way".

She flipped her comm shut, trying to contain the butterflies fluttering up in her stomach. Had she screwed up already? Was a data file corrupted? Was he going to reassign her? The questions bounced around in her head. She was contemplating the ground before her a little too much for when she walked around the corner to enter the turbo lift a bulk of a body nearly slammed her to the ground if it weren't for the hand that held her steady by her forearm.

It was the Vulcan, the commander, whom she had nearly knocked unconscious. Or perhaps it was just her for he barely seemed to change expression even in discomfort. Then she forgot he was an emotionless statue, a Vulcan. Half of what she is.

"My clumsiness never seems to fail me", Lily muttered under her breath as she smoothed out her uniform. "Sorry Commander".

"No animosity accounted for Lieutenant Redfields". He replied with a slight twinge to his lips that she read was most likely an understanding smile.

Things were awkwardly quiet for a moment.

"Has your first day on duty been eventful?"

Lily grinned nervously tucking her hair behind her slightly pointed ears, "A lot more work than I thought but nothing I can't handle. Liams a big help in linquistics".

He leaned his head forward slightly, "I am glad your new assistant is to your liking, you will need one when the research comes and field expeditions begin".

"Well the captain has requested me to his office. I'm hoping it has something to do with assigning me to the first one".

Spock raised a brow and clasped his hands behind his back, "He would be unwise to assign you to any expedition Lieutenant. Your vast knowledge of cultures in our quadrant serves you well". He kindly stepped aside, "You shouldn't keep the captain waiting".

"Goodnight Commander", she replied graciously

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Kirk had just clicked off the transmission to Central Command when the young, hybrid officer bounded into his office looking nervous and unsure. She had her find clenched tightly in balls at her sides turning her knuckles white. Her lips were pursed off to the side. The plain fact that her emotions were more transparent than most humans humored him.

_This must be killing Spock, _he thought with a smile.

"You can relax Ms. Redfields. I'm not here to make you put your nose in the corner", he said with a smirk, hardly able to keep focus on her face and not her long, divine legs. For a half Vulcan she didn't look half bad.

Her hands relaxed and she smiled, "Sorry sir. It's just that every time I was called to my commanding officers office there was some reason for him to gripe at me".

"Well I'm sure all you had to do was bat those eyes and you'd be home free right?"

Lily laughed. She liked her Captain. He wasn't as stiff as her previous one and actually had some humor, if not a little creepy. "I don't think it would work very well on him sir".

"Please call me Jim, all the bridge officers do, except Spock and I think he just does that to irritate me".

Containing the giggle forming in her throat she just smiled again, "You called me here for something?"

He snapped back to the matter at hand, "Ah yes! We're going to be stopping at New Vulcan in about a week and I'm assembling teams for an expedition that Central Command has asked us to perform".

Lily felt the excitement flush into her cheeks.

"May I ask what type of expedition?"

"There will be different groups doing different things", he added, "There's still a lot not known about the new planet for Vulcan. As you should know they have settlements supporting the population, but they will soon expand".

Kirk stood and walked around his front desk, leaning back against the edge, "I will need, you and your assistant to be ready within a week for this. Can that happen?"

"Of course sir! Will we be studying Vulcan ruins?"

He shook his head, blue eyes almost glowing in the dim light of the room, "This is something totally new". The captain swung himself off the desk, "A ruin was located just a few miles south of the newest Vulcan settlement. They think it was remnant of the inhabitants that lived there before them. We're sending several science teams down there to check it out".

Lily stood, "You can count on Liam and I to be prepared then".

"Good. I'll debrief the whole away team once we're near. Have a good night Ms. Lily".

The captain addressing her by her first name made her night even better. She was even more grateful for this assignment by the second.

"Of course, goodnight captain".


End file.
